ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Most years, the top horses on Million Preview Day at Arlington disappear either literally or figuratively when Arlington Million Day itself rolls around in August. But Million Preview Day 2010 looked stronger than most years going into the races, and it appears that the three graded grass stakes contested here Saturday will have more impact than usual on the three Grade 1 grass races scheduled for Aug. 21.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux has begun counseling sessions to address issues involving his alcohol use.

On July 1, Desormeaux failed a Breathalyzer test at Woodbine, necessitating that he be taken off Hold Me Back, who won that day’s $200,000 Dominion Day Handicap under jockey Tyler Pizarro. In May, Desormeaux was noticeably drunk during a radio interview a few days after the Kentucky Derby, in which he received some criticism for his ride on Paddy O’Prado, who was beaten a neck for second by Ice Box.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The day before Del Mar was to open, and only days before his two best horses were to run in significant stakes races, trainer Jim Cassidy said he was “relaxed.” Not so the day before, when he was “very stressed.” But after The Usual Q.T. and Evening Jewel put in flawless works on the turf here Monday and were fine the next morning, Cassidy allowed himself to look forward to what could be a lucrative weekend.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Judging by the entry box, horsemen are excited about the upcoming Saratoga meet.

A total of 127 horses were entered for Friday’s 10-race opening-day card at Saratoga, which will run 40 days through Labor Day. The feature is the Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes for juvenile fillies, but the best race on the card may be the $75,000 James Marvin Stakes for sprinters, featuring the return to the races of Grade 1 winner Vineyard Haven.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Opening day at Del Mar is for the once-a-year fashionistas, their big hats, loud clothes, louder voices, and interest more in the scene off the track than on. Day Two on Thursday is for the regulars, and they will be treated to a surprisingly strong mid-week card, highlighted by three allowance races, including a deep, competitive turf sprint for stakes-class older fillies and mares.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – It was one of those out-to-dinner conversations that usually are forgotten by the next morning.

“A couple of guys I was with gave me the typical ‘We want to get into the horse business’ routine,” said Clint Glasscock, a Louisville, Ky., insurance executive with considerable experience as a horse owner. “And I said, ‘You get 20 people to put up $2,000 each, and we’ll fool with it.’”

Joel Rosario had a dream season at Del Mar in 2009, winning the riding title with an easy 22-victory cushion over Tyler Baze.

Rafael Bejarano won the 2008 Del Mar riding title, but his 2009 meeting was a nightmare. He suffered a facial injury in a gruesome spill on opening day, missed more than a month of the seven-week meeting, and wound up riding just 26 races, winning six.

Baze himself missed nearly two weeks of the 2009 Del Mar meeting because of a broken pinkie when he was unseated in a post parade in mid-August.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The local troops are gearing up to invade Saratoga, with several horses set to make stakes appearances there in the early stages of the meeting, which begins Friday.

Biofuel, who is trained by Reade Baker, left Tuesday morning for Saturday’s Coaching Club American Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies that offers Grade 1 status and a purse of $250,000. Her regular rider, Eurico Rosa da Silva, has the mount.

AUBURN, Wash. – Ricky Frazier enters the racing week Thursday at Emerald Downs on a remarkable roll. The four-time Emerald riding champion has built a commanding lead in the standings through 52 days of the 89-day meeting, and he’s working on a five-race winning streak, though with an asterisk attached.

American Runaway, who is the nation’s top ranked 2-year-old Quarter Horse, closed as the 7-2 favorite for the first All American Future Wager. The field was the second choice at 4-1. The Grade 1, $2 million All American Futurity will be run at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 6.

The future wager closed at 10 p.m. Mountain time on Sunday. There were 24 betting interests, with 23 being individual horses and the other the field. Ruidoso reported there was $16,163 bet into the future wager. It offered win betting only, with a minimum wager of $2.